A/N: Thank you for your review, Olivia-Della-Robbia! And thanks for adding me to your 'favorites' list, Fire-Water-Earth-Air-Time! My excuse for taking so bloody long to update: I'm lazy. Plus I have to do time-consuming stuff for my English class next year. Not much happens in this chap, but at least it's an update, hey?

In this chap I have addressed something that I never did in By the Fire of the Sun: Nightwhisker's mother. You may recall that she and Shadowfur never had a mother, only their father Darkcloud (because frankly, I screwed up and never gave them a mother, so I brought her in here.)

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Deputy Passing

A blood trail marked where Darkcloud had been, vivid scarlet drops blossoming through the snow. A frighteningly large crimson stain lay beneath a snow-laden maple, and from this the trail of droplets, mixed with several sets of paw prints, led to a thick bramble patch.

Three cats ringed the brambles, each one tense, alert for any sign of whatever threatening creature might come their way. A lithe, golden-red she-cat sat directly in front of a gap in the brambles, the strongest warrior guarding the makeshift shelter's most vulnerable point.

Two cats huddled inside a tiny hollow in the brambles. One cat, thickset and black-furred, lay curled on his side. His breathing was halting, labored; a long, deep gash, still oozing blood, sliced across his throat. The second cat, small and mouse-brown, pressed close to the black tom, doing her best to keep him warm.

The three cats on guard pricked their ears up simultaneously; something was approaching, and rapidly. As the sound advanced, the cat guarding the gap in the brambles rose, bracing her feet and unsheathing her claws. Rustystripe and Fogdrift, the other guards, mimicked her.

With a great rattling of cold-brittle branches, a mottled brown tom burst forth from behind a clump of bare-branched bushes; Sunfire relaxed as she recognized Mudstar. Her leader stalked up to the brambles, his tail lashing fiercely, eyes darting from the trail of blood to the gap in the brambles.

"Let me see him," Mudstar demanded, craning his neck, trying to peer through the dense brambles. Sunfire bowed her head and stepped aside, allowing him through. As he pushed through the hole in the thorns, Sunfire's gaze lingered on him; she had already heard Rootclaw's opinion of the wound, and dreaded Mudstar's reaction. She heard voices coming from the hollow, but could not distinguish words.

Her gut twisted when she pictured Darkcloud's wound, and recited Rootclaw's words in her mind: "The wound is too deep for the skin to properly close and mend," Rootclaw had said. "He's lost far too much blood; he can't be helped now." The medicine cat had met Sunfire's gaze sadly, her amber eyes swimming with regret. "He won't live two days."

As they had waited for Mudstar's arrival, Sunfire had searched the immediate area for stray feathers, moss, anything that could add a bit of insulation to the poor excuse for a shelter. Darkcloud was too weak to make the journey back to camp, and Rootclaw had said carrying or dragging him was out of the question; the bramble hollow was the best thing in the area for him, and so, with urging and nudges, Darkcloud had been guided to the bramble patch, where he had collapsed.

The brambles rattled behind Sunfire; she stepped aside to let Mudstar out, startled out of her thoughts. The Clan leader held his head and tail low, his ears flat back. Abruptly, he whipped his head up and met Sunfire's gaze, his eyes blazing wildly.

"How did this happen?" he demanded, curling his lips back to reveal his teeth.

Sunfire realized the only news Mudstar had received was that his deputy was gravely injured; he must have taken off for them once he heard where they were. She filled him in as briefly as possible, recounting the RiverClan scent-markings they had found, then the RiverClan patrol, and then the fight, which had resulted in Darkcloud's slashed throat. Her claws slid out of their sheaths when she spoke of Acornfur wounding the ThunderClan deputy. Behind her, Fogdrift hissed softly.

Mudstar turned his head, facing the nearby RiverClan land. A low growl rumbled from his chest; Sunfire could see his muscles tensing, as if he was readying himself for a sprint.

"Are you going to go into RiverClan land and speak to Ravenstar about this?" asked Sunfire; she was ready to make sure the whole forest knew that a RiverClan warrior had mortally wounded the ThunderClan deputy without cause.

Mudstar did not respond at first. After many long heartbeats, he sighed, his muscles relaxing visibly. "No," he murmured, his voice barely audible. Raising his head, he went on, "I will wait and see what happens to Darkcloud. If he recovers before the next Gathering, I will make an announcement at the Gathering that a RiverClan warrior nearly killed our deputy without reason."

"Rootclaw's already said Darkcloud won't live," Sunfire reminded him. She kept her voice gentle but steady and firm; Mudstar could not let himself fall under the delusion that Darkcloud would pull through.

Her leader snapped his head around to face her, eyes blazing. "Are you saying you want him to die?" he demanded wildly.

"I said nothing like that!" retorted Sunfire, her voice now hard and cold as stone. She took a moment to swallow her sudden blaze of anger; yelling at her Clan leader would only get her in trouble, and Mudstar had every right to be upset. "No," she repeated, more calmly. "But since Rootclaw has said he will die, I don't think ThunderClan should hope that he'll live. If we believe that, his death will just be harder to accept when it comes."

Mudstar studied her; then he nodded curtly, turning away from the RiverClan land. He padded over to her, joining her at the entrance to the brambles, sitting at a respectful distance. "Did you bring Rustystripe and Fogdrift here?" he asked.

Sunfire nodded. "Once Rootclaw got Darkcloud inside the brambles, I thought they should be guarded. A fox or badger is likely to pick up the blood-smell, and they're not well-protected in there; the bramble wall is thin enough for a badger to tear through. When Rootclaw first came, she brought Hailpaw to help carry supplies; I asked him to go back to camp with Softsteps and Frozenstream and fetch whoever was available." She took a breath. "Softsteps and Frozenstream had already fought, and I thought they should rest."

Mudstar nodded. "Well thought-out," he murmured, bowing his head a little. Sunfire returned the gesture.

Moons ago, she reflected, she would have been swollen with pride for immediately setting up a guard system, and even more so at being praised for it. Now, she just felt heavyhearted resignation at Darkcloud's unavoidable death and bitter anger towards Acornfur. Even Hawkclaw had been momentarily driven from her mind.

They all sat in silence for a long stretch of time, listening to Darkcloud's labored breathing, shuffling their paws to try and keep warm against the wet cold. Eventually, Mudstar murmured, almost to himself, "Dapplepaw will need a new mentor."

Sunfire considered this, then said, "Jaywing hasn't had an apprentice for moons, and he's a senior warrior. He could take her." Mudstar nodded slowly, and Sunfire went on. "I was going to let Fogdrift and Rustystripe return to camp; they've been here for ages, and they should get out of the cold."

Mudstar flicked his tail. "Go back to camp," he said, "And send up two new cats. I'll take over your position; you need rest as well." His eyes darkened. "If you could, make a formal announcement to the Clan about what has happened. Allow whoever wishes to come and pay their final respects to do so, but only two at a time." Sunfire nodded, casting a last glance at Darkcloud; the deputy couldn't spend his final hours in his camp, but he would at least see his Clanmates.

She started towards camp, setting her pace at a swift trot; for a few heartbeats she fixed her gaze on the sky. It had darkened to a deep violet, and the first few stars glimmered bright and cold. StarClan, Sunfire thought grimly, prepare yourselves, for a warrior comes to join you in the sky.

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A soft breeze whispered through the forest, the forest that existed in eternal green-leaf. A single cat sat before the Gazing Pool, a silent, regretful sentinel. Slowly, more cats joined him, melting out of the shadows, their pawsteps careful and deliberate. Within moments the clearing was filled.

After a lifetime, the first cat raised his head and looked about; he seemed to have just noticed how crowded the clearing had become.

"A warrior comes to join us," he said, addressing no cat in particular. He need not have spoken; the StarClan warriors always knew when a warrior was coming to join them. A soft breeze would travel through the whole forest, carrying on it news of the advancing death.

"Who comes?" called a she-cat at the edge of the clearing, rearing up to make herself better heard. The Death-Breeze, as it was known by all StarClan cats, did not reveal who was dying, only that his or her life was ending.

"The ThunderClan deputy, Darkcloud," replied Lightningstar.

A black long-furred she-cat stepped forward, peering into the Pool. She saw Darkcloud, and could not suppress a tiny thrill of joy despite his obvious pain; she had died many seasons before, when their kits were still in the nursery. Abruptly her brief joy faded. "Who did this to him?" she demanded fiercely.

"The RiverClan warrior Acornfur." The black she-cat bristled, and Lightningstar went on, "Peace, Blackflower. Justice will be brought about." Blackflower nodded slowly, but kept her eyes on the Pool.

Lightningstar lifted his head again, this time addressing all the gathered cats. "He will join us within moments," he called. "He deserves to be greeted with great respect; he is a fine warrior. Blackflower," he added, "I trust you will be the one to guide his spirit here?"

"Of course."

"Go now," Lightningstar said gently. "ThunderClan have all been to pay their last respects to him already, and Nightwhisker and Dapplepaw remain with him. His time has come." Blackflower nodded, then stepped delicately into the Pool; the moment all four paws touched the water, she vanished.

The clearing was purely silent now as the cats sat in a moment of silence for the fallen warrior. Hesitantly, Roseleaf whispered to Lightningstar, "You have seen what will follow his death?"

"You know I have, Roseleaf, as you were with me when I saw it." He paused. "We should not fear for her. She is strong."

"You fear for her despite your words."

"And you do not?"

Roseleaf turned away.

Before Lightningstar could go on, the air shimmered about a tail-length away from the Gazing Pool. There was a brief flash of white; when it faded, two black cats lay in the previously empty space. Blackflower stood; the second cat remained tightly curled. The clearing waited with bated breath; some had seen this happen countless times, while others were seeing it for the first time.

Abruptly, the black tom opened his amber eyes. Calm as he had been in life, he slowly raised his head and gazed around the clearing. Awe and regret filled his eyes as he realized where he was.

Lightningstar took a step forward, and the black tom met his gaze. "Welcome to StarClan, Darkcloud."

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